Little Green Footballs

Monday, July 11, 2005

A few months ago, a controversial Dutch broadcaster and journalist named Theo van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death. His assailant was caught a few minutes later. His name is Mohammed Bouyeri, and he's a fundamentalist Muslim lunatic. Today in Amsterdam, his trial got under way.

After van Gogh's assassination, the Dutch government was widely condemned -- not least by Charles Johnson -- for allowing it to happen.

Ten years ago today, around 8,000 men, women, and children were slaughtered by Serbian soldiers in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica. Three of the main ringleaders of the massacre are still at large. Today in Srebrenica, there was a remembrance service attended by tens of thousands of Bosnians, as well as Serbian and foreign officials.

After the massacre, Dutch U.N. peacekeepers were widely condemned for standing by and allowing it to happen.

So, Charles has two opportunities to bash the Netherlands today. Let's see which one he takes.

Which is more noteworthy: the murder of a single Dutchman by a religious fanatic who is now in prison, or the murder of 8,000 innocent Bosnian Muslims by nationalist zealots whose leaders are still walking free?

[Note to our troll friends: This is an example of framing. No matter what Charles writes, or doesn't, we'll be able to claim it's because of this post! Turnabout is fair play...]